Reeth, Swaledale Arkengarthdale Bed and Breakfast, Hotel, Cafe, Restaurants, Guest Houses, History, Travel, Weather, Swaledale Museum, Grinton, Fremington, Low Row, Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Welcome to the village of Reeth in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale

Information for visitors to the Yorkshire Dales National Park village of Reeth

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'Swaledale in Yorkshire is a little country in itself. Once there, shut in by barriers of hills, you are satisfied: shrouded in its mystery, the rest of the world seems unimportant and unreal.' - Ella Pontefract, 1934.

Reeth, which in Saxon times was only a settlement on the forest edge, but by the time of the Norman Conquest it had grown sufficiently in importance to be noted in the Doomsday Book.

Later it became a centre for hand-knitting and the local lead industry was controlled from here, but it was always a market town for the local farming community. It's eighteenth-century houses and hotel clustered around the triangular village green make it one of the honey pots of the Dales.

Reeth lies where two of North Yorkshire's finest dales meet. The most northerly of these is Arkengarthdale, which is relatively unexplored and one of the more tranquil dales. The other, Swaledale, is formed from gentle slopes as the meandering Swale winds its way to Richmond. Reeth, at the juncture of these two dales, is at the heart of Swaledale. It has a large village green where traditional events and markets are often held.

Reeth is a popular place with visitors to the Dales, and has many tea rooms in which you can relax, perhaps after a stroll along the river, and interesting craft shops producing traditional, high quality products.

In the 18^th Century Reeth was the capital of the lead mining industry. Its history can be traced in the Folk Museum, which houses exhibits illustrating the life and traditions of Swaledale, and outlining the principle theme of lead mining. Reeth was the capital of this industry, with a population of 1460 in its heyday. Cheaper foreign imports doomed the Swaledale companies and by1885, the area was already converting to the idyllic farming community that we see today.

Nearby is Grinton with its Norman church, the Jacobean-style pulpit, "Lepers Squint" and stained glass are worth inspection.

Reeth Post Office

Walkers will be fascinated following the ancient ‘Corpse Way’, which may still be picked out running from Grinton to Keld, at the head of the Dale. Because this was the only consecrated ground at the time, the dead were carried here in wicker baskets along an ancient track.

	The scattered villages in their dramatically beautiful settings, all have stories to tell. The hardy sheep here have a pedigree that dates back to the time of the Viking settlers and may be seen wherever you travel throughout this lovely dale.
	There are fine walks to be found all over the area, varying in length from gentle strolls along the Swale paths, to day long routes, taking the energetic to the summits of Great Shunner Fell, Lovely seat and Addlebrough.

Richmond, Barnard Castle, Leyburn and Hawes are all within half an hours drive, and there is no shortage of eating houses in Reeth to enjoy after a long day’s walking or sightseeing.

Market Days in the Area
Monday:	Darlington
Tuesday:	Hawes
Wednesday:	Northallerton & Barnard Castle
Thursday:	-
Friday:	Reeth & Leyburn
Saturday:	Richmond, Darlington & Northallerton

Reeth in Swaledale from Fremington Edge

	This picture taken from Fremington Edge shows the whole village and the River Swale in the distance
	The area is rich in natural beauty and wildlife but it also has tremendous architectural, agricultural and industrial heritage. Agriculture thrives with the Swaledale sheep providing wool, and the cows, milk for the famous Wensleydale cheese. There are many local crafts in Swaledale and the nearby Wensleydale and these crafts are illustrated at museums in Reeth and Hawes.

Good walking (including the Coast to Coast path) can be found amidst magnificent scenery, caves and waterfalls. The River Swale is famous for its beauty and there are many well-signed walks along its banks.

Visit the historic castles of Richmond (11 miles), Castle Bolton, Middleham and Jervaulx Abbey. Travel West over Tail Bridge to the market town of Kirkby Stephen, South over the Buttertubs pass to Hawes or North over The Stang to Barnard Castle.

Looking across to Reeth from Arkleside

Race-goers are well catered for at nearby Catterick, Thirsk, Ripon or York. Mountain bike hire is also available locally.

As well as the Yorkshire Dales the Buck Hotel is well located for visiting the Lakes, North York Moors and East Coast

Central for many walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (www.yorkshiredales.org.uk), Reeth is situated on Wainwright's Coast to Coast Route (www.coast2coast.co.uk), the Dales Way, adjacent to the Pennine Way and Mark Reid's famous Inn Way includes The Buck Hotel in the village (www.innway.co.uk).

There are many mountain biking routes around Reeth, including the Dales Cycle way. Hotels in the village can provide secure lock-up facilities for residents' bikes, and bike hire can be arranged locally. Dales Mountain Biking also arrange accompanied inclusive tour packages or tailor made programmes.

Why not try a horse riding holiday? Contact Jane Baker at the Arklemoor riding centre on 01748 88473

Alternatively keen digital photographers could enhance their skills and enjoy Swaledale at the same time.

Professional landscape photographer Garry Brannigan runs courses and workshops based at The Buck Hotel and visiting locations in beautiful Swaledale. To find out more about his one-day workshops and four-day residential courses see http://www.thedigitaldawn.com

There are many places to stay in and around Reeth including four well-appointed Hotels, The Black Bull, The Kings Arms, The Buck and the Burgoyne, each offering a high standard of Bed and Breakfast accommodation. Guest Houses and holiday lets are very popular in the village. Details of all these can be found on our Accommodation page.

The Reeth and District Gazette is a local advertising magazine. It is available for free from most public places in the village. Many local businesses advertise and there is also some useful information and articles submitted by locals. Click for a copy.